Comedy: Ben Roy

Ben Roy has been called a punk rock Sam Kinison, but this is inaccurate. Where volume was part of Kinison’s punchlines, for Roy it’s strictly more of a vehicle to deliver that laugh. “My high school drama coach used to say, ‘Play it to the deaf old lady in the back of the room,’” Roy says. He also credits his years as a rock singer for his amplified style. It wasn’t until he moved to Denver and his wife picked up a part-time job at the city’s famous Comedy Works comedy club that he gave stand-up a try.

Nine years later, his acting skills have been dusted off for a new series he just sold to Amazon calledThose Who Can’t.The show grew out of his Funny or Die seriesGrawlix.“One of the producers of (Comedy Central’s)Workaholicssaw it, and put the bug in our ear to try shopping it as a pilot.”